


Family

by needyoucap



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, M/M, Mpreg, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needyoucap/pseuds/needyoucap
Summary: “You okay?” Steve murmurs to Tony gently, apparently having given up on trying to quell Bucky and Rhodey’s argument.Tony gives him a sleepy smile. “I’m great,” he says honestly.There is one thing missing, though, Tony realizes. Peter is silent, sitting in the corner of the room, playing with the ends of his sweatshirt sleeves and looking for all the world like...well, not like a teenager who just gained a baby brother. Tony knows he tends to worry about the boy a tad too much, but he can’t help it - he knows when something isn’t right with his kid.





	Family

Tony is exhausted, but he’s never been happier. He’s surrounded by his family, all the people he loves, and Rhodey and Bucky are arguing over who Steve and Tony named their son after.

“I’m just saying that maybe you should consider the fact that I was Tony’s first and only friend in college,” Rhodey is saying, “and that-”

“I was Steve’s friend before you were even born, Rhodes,” Bucky retorts.

Tony snorts and rolls his eyes. Steve sighs and lowers James into Tony’s arms. “Maybe consider that you happen to share the same name, so he’s named after you both?” he suggests.

There’s silence for a moment.

“He was obviously named after his favorite uncle,” Rhodey says.

“_Favorite _? If anyone’s going to be his favorite-”

Tony tunes out the bickering and looks down at his son’s sleeping face. He looks sort of squishy, and small, and Tony can’t believe this beautiful baby boy was inside of him only hours ago. He leans down to press a kiss onto James’s hat-covered forehead.

“You okay?” Steve murmurs to Tony gently, apparently having given up on trying to quell Bucky and Rhodey’s argument.

Tony gives him a sleepy smile. “I’m great,” he says honestly.

There is one thing missing, though, Tony realizes. Peter is silent, sitting in the corner of the room, playing with the ends of his sweatshirt sleeves and looking for all the world like...well, not like a teenager who just gained a baby brother. Tony knows he tends to worry about the boy a tad too much, but he can’t help it - he knows when something isn’t right with his kid.

“Hey, Pete,” he calls. “C’mere.” Peter obliges, slowly.

“How you doin’?” Tony asks when Peter is standing by Tony’s bed, looking anywhere but at the baby in Tony’s arms.

Peter looks surprised at the question. “Uh, fine, I guess?”

There’s an awkward silence. Then, Tony asks, “You want to hold him?” and Peter looks like he’s about to run for the hills.

“I’m-that’s, that’s okay, Mr. Stark,” Peter stammers, taking a step back. “I’m...I’m good.”

“You sure? He’s just gonna keep sleeping, you don’t have to worry about waking him up or anything.”

The pained expression on Peter’s face makes something in Tony’s stomach clench. He nods. “I...I shouldn’t.”

Tony frowns. “Is this...is this about your strength?” he asks gently. “I know you would never hurt him; look at Steve.”

Peter shakes his head, almost sadly. “It’s not that,” he says quietly.

“Then what’s it about?” Tony prods.

Peter shrugs. “I’m just...I’m not good with...with babies,” he says, and Tony wants to call him on his bullshit - he’s seen Spider-Man save plenty of babies, seen him interact with them after they’d been reunited with their families, cooing at them and asking if the parents needed anything - but he refrains.

Frankly, he’s a little hurt. He can’t help wondering if it’s something about this baby being _ Tony’s _; Tony never thought Peter had a problem with his mentor being an omega, given the fact that Peter himself is an omega. But Tony knows what it’s like, being an omega in an alpha’s world, and he knows that Peter has always looked up to him for smashing through those stereotypes. Tony has never been a typical omega, working only to support himself until he could find an alpha and settle down, pop out some kids and be a stay-at-home dad for the rest of his life. It could be that Peter is disappointed, worried about Tony’s future as a businessman, an entrepreneur, as Iron Man and Peter’s mentor.

He tries not to let the hurt show on his face. “It’s fine. I just thought you’d want to hold your baby brother, but you don’t have to.”

The change in Peter’s demeanor is instant. His mouth drops open and his eyes go wide, his hands falling still from fidgeting with his sleeves. “My - my what?”

“Your brother,” Tony repeats. It’s then that Tony realizes something. “Pete, you...you do know you’re my kid, don’t you?”

Tony can see Peter’s eyes filling with tears, and if his arms weren’t already occupied, he would reach out to wipe them away. Peter shakes his head. “But...but I’m not,” he sniff. “I thought...I mean, I knew _ I _ thought of you like a dad, but that was just, y’know, because I have issues,” Peter laughs weakly. “I figured, now that you have a real family…” Peter doesn’t elaborate on what he thought would happen now that Tony has a “real family,” and frankly, Tony doesn’t want to hear it.

Tony shifts James to one arm carefully, then reaches out to pat the bed beside him. “Come here.”

Peter sits, and Tony gently moves James into Peter’s arms. “You _ are _ my real family, Pete,” he says, brushing back a lock of Peter’s curly hair once Peter has both arms around the baby. “Rhodey is my family. The Avengers are my family. Bucky is Steve’s family, and therefore now mine, too.” He watches Peter watching James, who’s just blinked his eyes awake. “But you’re my kid,” he says softly. “The same way James is.”

This time, when a tear spills down Peter’s face, Tony’s hands are free to wipe it away. “You really mean that, Mr. Stark?”

“Most kids don’t call their dad ‘Mr. Stark’,” Tony points out, and Peter laughs.

“Okay,” Peter says, and goes back to watching the baby. He doesn’t say that he’ll start calling Tony “dad” or “Tony,” but that’s okay. Tony knows it’s up to Peter, and that he’ll make the decision in his own time.

But for now, Tony watches his family, and is happier than he’s ever been.


End file.
